The National tribune., 1887-03-17
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
pEHoRNTNa CATTLE.

DEHoRETNa CATTLE.
A correspondent Of the Western Rural says
81 have been taking some interest in the sub
ject of dehornng rs l have long believed horns
TO be a great detriment and / am still more
convinced of the fact since getting rid of them.
have been doing n little dehorning by the
use of a Galloway bull / have found it effect
ual, rs out Of quite a large number Of half
bloods not one has developed horns, though
some OF the males have loose stubs an inch or
two long that are mostly covered by the hair.
There has been one good effect of dehorning
with the saw. 1t has convinced a great many
people that polled cattle are preferable to horn
ed cattle. being plessanter to handle, and show
| ing less vicousness where there are no horns
TO irritate and keep them in constant fear. i
have heard some say they owned a mOoley cow
and knew she was as vicious as the horned ones.
OF course she was, for she had to fight her way
among the horns, though she could not do as
much damage.
"But put that Same COW with herd of polled
cattle, and i think they will soon see her be-
| come less vicious. l have one yard of polled
| cattle and one yard in which only part Of
| them are polled, and find the same COWS more
peaceable with the former than when in the
| yard where there are some horned ones. | also
find polled cattle require less yard or shed
room, as they will huddle closer together than
horned ones / think stock are often hooked
| and injured so as 10 cause loss of flesh and
| check their growth for time, when there is
no outward show finjury, and the owner does
not suspect the real cause. Any person who
has skinned a tough hided animal that was
killed by dog, must have noticed the meat
1 was badly mangled when the hide was not
broken. A neighbOr had a calf nearly year
| old hooked TO death by vicious cow and al
| though the hide was not broken he found holes
punched in the flesh when he came TO skin il.
| As for saving of the horns il may be justified
by the future comfort of the stock, aud also of
those that take care of them. But to make
that practice in future, when the same object
| may be obtained by the use of pOlled bull
shows. it seems TO me- lack Of feeling for
dumb brutes, for that il causes severe pain can
| not be denied, for all admit the animal strug-
giles violently and usually throws itself during
the operation"
BARB WIRE.
The annual consumption of barb wire in the
| United States is now over 10000 TONS or suii-
cient TO build barb wire fence 10 times around
the earth. This material is used almost ex-
clusiyely throughout the West, and without it
most of the prairie farms would remain I'M
fenced. IL would cost more to pay freight
charges alone on timber enough 10 fence n
small Enclosure in Kansas or Nebraska than the
entire cost of fencing farm there with barb
wire. The material and processes of manufac-
turing it are covered By numerous patents,
which include various forms of barb A barb
formed from wire, twisted in between two
strands and projecting ut right angles, at suit
able intervals, is the cheapest style. But the
common objection 10 this form of barb is its
great severity to animals. Many careful farm
ers, after injury TO their horses have been
obliged either 70 discard this kind OF fence alto
gether or use one or more boards 10 make il
slightly. Michael Kelly was the first inventor
of thorns, or barbs, placed on wire initiating as
much as possible natures thorn, and to accom-
plish this he constructed a metal barb, punch
ing shOle in the center, which he strung on
steel wire, and by twisting fellow wire
around. allowed it to turn or yield one-fourth
turn. Put this form OF barb being more ex-
penSive than the wire barb twisted in aud be-
tween the wires. merchants bought largely OF
the cheaper-made goods, many farmers think
ing that barbed wire was all alike. If farmers
had been little more careful in making their
purchases and looked moro to quality and
mechanism of barbs, we venture to say that all
prejudice against this style of fence would be
done away, and the actual cost would not be
much greater.
PROVIDE A GARDEN.
twill not be long now before the garden can
be commenced. Make il complete. If il was
never complete before. have il SO this year
Do not confne it TO n little cramped up spot
There is p enty of room on every farm for a
garden, and therefore give it the room it ought
10 A~re. OF course, everybody grows beans
pes. and the other more common kinds OF
garden vegetables. Very often, however, they
are so badly neglected that they are not able
Il Kali III ia IL
den IS given plenty of room, and if in shape il
is long and narrow, SO that it may be easily
cultivated BY horse power. there will not be SC
much excuse FOR neglecting il. We admit that
il is good deal OF bother to attend garden
by hand and the farmer does not take kindly
TO it. Therefore, take pains to make the gar
den.
NOTES
A few boxes in the house filed with earth
and planted to tomatoes, lettuce and cabbage
will be found cheap mode of securing early
plants. Now is the time 10 begin, as they will
not grow too rapidly when the seeds have
sprOuted.
- There is no advantage in having young
ducks, geese or turkeys too early in the season
rs they will not thrive as we'll as when Matched
in April or later. A good start in dry weather
will enable them TO grow rapidly and entail les.
, labor, while dampness is fatal.
- FTeas 5 grating wax is four pounds of resin
, one pound OF tallow and one pound of beeswax
Melt all together over slow fire and when il
: is melted turn out into a tub of cold water and
: pull as shOemakers' wax is made. Soften with
hot water.
DO not be tempted with all the new novel
{. titles offered in garden seeds. as some of them
are only old varieties with new names. Before
devOting the garden 10 any new variety, give
{ il a test by procuring packet of seeds for ex
pertinent, AS a loss from poor seed or from M
inferior variety cannot be recovered. Time i:
an important item in gardening.
! - KANT, which is now extensively used a.
E a fertilizer, Is a compound of the sulphates o.
7. potash and magnesia, containing, also. common
salt and other chlOrides. 1t is not only an OK
cellent fertilizer, being soluble, but is one o
the best materials that can be used for prevent
, ing loss OF ammonia in the manure heap.
Cows teats that crack and become sore
should have an application of fresh lard Of
well-prepared salve worked in thoroughly dur
, the operation Of milking. Otherwise slye
milking tube, carefully smeared with fresh larI
a before using, can be employed.
= - The shrinkage in butter is point worthy
1 of attention where large quantities are beinl
. held for higher prices. An Illinois creamery
q sent TO New York 1893 pounds of butter il
three shipments, which was sold within a fort
: night from the time it left the factory, tn,
: shrinkage in weight being 80 pounds. Anothe
/; lot of 6,l0i pounds was held 10 weeks in cole
!; storage at New York, and lost l6I pounds.
II Dog owners ought to keep them so re
strained as TO prevent their doing harm Il